Coming to Balkov Abbey
by dontstop5546
Summary: In the dead of night, on the snowy, icy streets of Moscow, a small girl cowers from the cold. What happens when a certain red-haired boy finds her? Prologue to Wolf's Cry.
I hope you all enjoy this story. It's just a little background behind how Jessy and Tala met.

Please review!

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own any of the characters from Beyblade. I only own Jessy.

 **Coming to Balkov Abbey**

It was snowing. It was always snowing in Moscow. Big, fluffy flakes that swirled everywhere and made the streetlight a few feet away look ethereal and devastatingly beautiful.

The little girl cowered in the alleyway, trying to keep warm amidst the bags of trash. It stunk. _Really_ bad. But the bags and cans around her provided some shelter from the ever-falling snow. Her fingers and toes hurt from the cold. Her thin sweater didn't provide much protection. Neither did her holey jeans and scrappy sneakers.

She must have been about eight. She had been on her own for nearly a year. Mommy and Daddy…she bit her lip thinking about them, fighting back tears. Tears only made her face wet, which then froze, and made her colder. She must not think about that awful night.

As she lay curled up in the snow, she tried to picture warm things. The sunshine on green grass. A warm fireplace. Fresh cookies hot from the oven. The thought of cookies made her tummy hurt. She hadn't had anything but a scrap of bread for two days.

She whimpered, realizing her fingers were turning blue. This was, by far, the coldest night she had ever been out in. She stuck her fingers in her armpits, trying to keep them warm. But she was so small; she didn't have any more body heat.

She kept whimpering and shaking; so cold. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to snuggle deeper into the trash. Nothing was working.

Unbeknownst to her, a boy, a few years older than her, was walking by on the street. He was in a light jacket despite the cold, but it didn't bother him at all. He was used to it.

As he passed by the alley, he thought he heard a noise. Some kind of whimpering, like a puppy. Thinking that he could help the poor thing, he turned into the alley to investigate. As he came around the trash heap, he heard rustling. She was trying to snuggle deeper.

Curiously, he pushed one trash bag to the side. Just behind another one, he caught a glimpse of a leg. He pushed that bag aside as well.

At the sudden blast of colder air, the little girl squeaked, trying to burrow deeper. The boy's icy blue eyes softened.

"Everything will be alright," he murmured, reaching out a hand to her. "I'll protect you from the cold."

She blinked her solemn dark eyes at him, trying to hear over the chattering of her teeth.

"Come with me, I know a safe place," the boy reassured her, grasping her hand in his own.

She whimpered at the warmth of his hand. It _hurt_. She hesitated for a second, and then attempted to crawl out of her little niche in the garbage. Unfortunately, her limbs were so cold, she couldn't move properly.

"Help me," she whispered. "I can't move."

Carefully, the boy climbed over the garbage to her. He pulled her into his arms and slid one arm under her legs, cradling her. He wasn't much older than her, probably two or three years at the most, but he was already much taller and stronger than her.

He carried her a few blocks away, to an old monastery. The crummy plaque on the door said "Balkov Abbey." He continued to carry her down several flights of stairs and through so many corridors she couldn't keep count. Her grip around his neck tightened. She was scared.

"Don't be afraid," he murmured softly. "You're safe now."

They came upon an ordinary door, like so many others. This one he opened deftly with the hand behind her back. They stepped inside.

 _It's too late now to talk to the master,_ he thought to himself. He decided she would stay here until morning.

His room didn't have much. A bed. A dresser. A lonely light bulb hanging from the ceiling. There were no windows and the dingy concrete walls made it seem even more bare and desolate. But it was shelter. It was warmer than outside. There was no snow in here.

He set her down on the bed and went over to his dresser. He pulled out a pair of black sweatpants and a white, long sleeved shirt. He helped her change out of her cold, wet clothes into his warm, dry ones. The pants came down past her feet, but that was okay. He rolled up the sleeves a few times so she could move her hands. Her long dark hair was matted and badly needed washing, as did the rest of her, but he couldn't do anything about that. It was too late at night to go to the showers. He would get in trouble for sure. He already wasn't supposed to be out so late. He had snuck out, desperate to be in the snowy, quiet world several floors above him.

He tucked her into bed, much like he used to do for his mother when she was sick. The girl continued to stare at him, not saying anything.

He sat down on the floor next to her.

"What's your name?" he asked gently.

"Jessy," she replied, so softly he thought he had imagined it.

"My name is Tala. I won't let anything bad happen to you," he told her firmly. "You're safe now."

Jessy reached out from under the blanket and grabbed his hand. She was shivering greatly now. His thin blanket wasn't very warm. Taking off his jacket and shoes, he crawled into the bed behind her, on top of the blanket. She rolled over and cuddled into him. He was so _warm_. He wrapped his arms around her and let his body heat warm her.

Slowly, she drifted off.

"Thank you, Tala," she whispered, just before she fell asleep.

In the morning, he would talk to Master Boris. He could only hope that the man would allow her to stay. Tala couldn't just let her go back out there. He would take full responsibility for her, if that's what it took. He would save her.

~~~~~~~~~~*The next morning*~~~~~~~~~~

"Please, Master Boris!" Tala begged. "She has nowhere else to go!"

"What am I supposed to do with her?" Boris spat, black eyes boring into him.

"Train her! Just like the rest of us! If she doesn't make it, then so be it. But give her the chance! She'll die if she goes back out there!" the young boy pleaded. "You gave Bryan and me a chance! Just let her stay!"

Boris ran a frustrated hand through his greasy black hair. This boy was getting on his last nerve! Breaking the rules, sneaking out, bringing a _girl_ back with him! His lip curled in disgust.

"She is your ward!" he spoke ferociously. "I do **not** want her in my way. She will behave like everybody else here or she will be _punished_ like everybody else here!"

"Understood," Tala replied quickly.

"Girls do not typically work out in this facility," his voice dripped with disdain. "You are going to take full charge of her. You will make sure she trains. Do not fail, or you _both_ will be homeless. And as an extra incentive, _Bryan_ will also need to find a home if you fail." The man's thin lips turned up in a smirk.

 _Bryan_ , he thought to himself, looking down at Boris' boots. _My only friend here._ _I can't let him be kicked out. I have to save them_ _ **both**_ _._ The young boy met the older man's eyes defiantly. He nodded. At ten years old, he was already much wiser than his time. He had been through a lot. He understood the risks of this situation. He would not fail.

"I understand," he spoke firmly. "She will not be a hindrance to this facility or to you."

After a moment of silence, Boris finally asked, "What is this girl's name?"

"Jessy, sir," Tala replied. "No last name."

"Ahhh…"The man thought for a minute. "Sirota. That will be her last name. Seems fitting." He smirked again. _Sirota_. _Orphan_.

"Thank you sir," the boy responded.

"Now, get the hell out of my sight," Boris dismissed him. "You're giving me a headache. I'll punish you for your disobedience later."

Quickly, Tala darted from the man's dark office. He hurried back down to his room, where he had left Jessy over an hour ago. He prayed she was still sleeping.

Sure enough, she was still curled in a ball, fast asleep, when he came back in. She startled awake at the sound of the door clicking shut.

Tala's hard blue eyes softened once more as he gazed at the younger girl. He would protect her, train her, and make sure she never had to sleep in the trash and snow again. It may not be perfect here, but it was a hell of a lot better than living on the streets.


End file.
